Dispensing pack and machine

ABSTRACT

An ice-cream container pack that forms a replaceable cartridge in an associated dispensing machine, said pack comprising a cylindrical body fitted with a nozzle and a plunger which, when operated by the piston of said machine, dispenses the ice cream from the pack via said nozzle, said pack being characterized in that the bottom edge ( 8 ) of the cylindrical body wall ( 1 ) is directly attached to the end wall ( 5 ), said end wall being in the form of a truncated cone, the smaller and free base of which houses the extrusion nozzle ( 7 ), whereby a part of the end wall ( 5 ) constitutes the support base for the pack on the support ( 4 ′) with which said dispensing machine is provided.

SUBJECT OF THE INVENTION

The present invention lies in the sphere of container packs for edibleice-cream products and, more specifically, that of disposable andpreferably single-serving packs designed so that the product theycontain is dispensed by extrusion.

When ice-cream is dispensed from a pack of this type, the shape of theextruded product is determined primarily by the form of the nozzlethrough which it passes. The primary objective of the present inventionis to ensure that the product is extruded in optimal condition ensuring,in particular, that disfigurement of the extruded product, as a resulteither of accumulation of product around the nozzle on the outside ofthe pack, or of deformation of the nozzle during extrusion, isminimised.

An additional advantage of the design of this pack is that it helps tokeep the dispensing nozzle itself clean, together with the pack ingeneral, so that said pack is able to comply with the most stringentstandards of hygiene.

Extrusion of the ice cream from the pack is most conveniently achievedwith the aid of a machine and a further aspect of the present inventionis accordingly the design of a machine to complement the novel packdesign in achieving the improved quality of the dispensed product. It isanticipated that such machines will prove particularly well suited fordispensing ice-cream, from individual packs according to the inventioninto receptacles such as plates or cups or any other such suitablecontainer more attractive for consumption of the product, at ice-creamdistribution stalls, cafes, restaurants, etc.

PRIOR ART

In the field of edible ice-cream, the technique of serving by extrusionfrom a suitable pack has long been known.

Two basic versions of the extrusion system are well-known; one where theice-cream is served at the time of use by the consumer itself, and theother where a machine is used to serve the ice-cream product to saidconsumer.

Systems of the former type generally comprise tubular, cylindricalpacks, generally constructed of plastic-coated cardboard, housing aplunger, which is also cylindrical, extending axially into an operatingrod and sealed at the other end with a cap so that, while the productremains in storage, it is completely protected inside the pack by saidcap and by the plunger itself. For consumption, the cap is removed andthe user gradually presses on the operating rod to push the ice-creamproduct out, also gradually, through the opening in the pack left by thecap.

Machines designed primarily for dispensing multiple servings of edibleice-cream by extrusion are also well-known. Such machines are generallyequipped with a cylinder, which may be filled with a considerable amountof ice-cream, and an extrusion nozzle. The plunger fitted to saidcylinder is used, in a design similar to a standard “churrera” ordoughnut-maker, to push the product out, extruded through said nozzle,and place it in any type of recipient for consumption.

More recently, machines without said cylinder have been used, which arefitted just with an operating plunger and die. These are designed to beused together with “cartridges” which can hold a suitable volume ofice-cream and are provided with a plunger which, on introduction intothe machine, forms an addition to its piston. These cartridges have atwin function, on the one hand as a suitably sealed pack fortransportation of the ice-cream product in optimal conditions of hygienefrom its place of manufacture to the distribution points where theassociated machines are installed and, on the other, as a cylinder onthe dispensing machine itself, so that no further handling is requiredat those points beyond the replacement of a used cartridge with a newone following dispensing of the ice cream.

Packs of this “cartridge” type consist of a cylindrical body, one of theoutlets of which is intended to act as a circumference seat on theassociated support of the extruding machine. During storage andtransportation of the pack, this end of the cylinder needs to be sealed,usually by means of a fine disc appropriately affixed to the aforesaidoutlet, for instance by heat-welding. The other end of the cylindricalbody is sealed by the plunger itself, which will be operated by themachine as the product is served.

Conventionally in a pack of this type, the extrusion nozzle is locatedat the end of a truncated cone structure which converges towards thebottom end of the cylinder, for preference on the geometric axis of thepack. The extrusion hole itself may have one of any number ofshapes—star, polygon, etc. Since this truncated cone structure is notsealed off from the ice-cream product during storage and transportation,it must be contained within the cap that seals the end of the pack priorto dispensing. It therefore has to be recessed with respect to thebottom end of the outer cylindrical wall of the pack, and a space isconsequently left between the inner truncated cone wall, the sealing capand the cylindrical side wall.

In practice, packs of this type present problems basically centredaround two aspects. Firstly, in the course of pack handling operations,for instance filling on the production line and transportation of thepacks, part of the ice-cream product often flows through the extrusionopening into the space between the inner cone wall surrounding thenozzle, the side wall of the cylindrical body and the sealing cap. Whenthe ice-cream is served, material accumulated in this space may bedispensed along with newly extruded product which is disadvantageousbecause it causes the end product to lose a substantial part of theshape formed by said nozzle, so that a serving of the product differsconsiderably in appearance from that intended.

Secondly, since the whole pack rests on the support around thecircumference of its tubular body, there is no direct support of theinner truncated-cone wall around the nozzle during extrusion.Consequently the cone structure is liable to be forced out of shape bythe actual extrusion pressure. This in turn affects the shape of theserved product, further contributing to making said shape substantiallydifferent from that intended.

DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

The present invention comprises a novel design of pack from which icecream may be dispensed by extrusion, together with a machine to effectthe dispensing. The improvements represented by the invention offer asatisfactory solution to the problems referred to above.

The pack of the present invention incorporates a cylindrical body,designed to contain a suitable volume of ice-cream and sealed at one endby an extrusion plunger in the normal way. It is distinguished from theprior art, however, by the key innovation that the other end wall, inwhich the extrusion nozzle is located, is attached directly to thebottom edge of said cylindrical body, rather than being recessed withrespect to this edge, as is normally the case. This allows the sealingcap to be situated directly on the end wall where the nozzle is located,so that there is no possibility of any product emerging through thenozzle during storage and handling of the pack, until the time when itis opened. Thus when the ice cream is served, all the dispensed materialwill be newly extruded from the nozzle and will therefore have improvedretention of the shape conferred by the nozzle aperture, in comparisonto product dispensed from previously known packs.

In addition, the pack design allows the dispensing machine to supportthe pack directly on its end wall, rather than just at thecircumference, on the side walls, as is conventionally the case.Specifically, the end wall is in the form of a truncated cone, thesmaller and free base of which houses the extrusion nozzle, and themachine is provided with a support having an angled surface designed tobe complementary to this truncated cone structure. This providesimportant beneficial effects in the serving of the product. First, anydeformation of the aforesaid truncated cone wall during extrusion isminimised, resulting in better control of the shape of the extrudedproduct. Second, and especially if said support surface is warmed, itproduces a slight and beneficial increase in the temperature of thebottom area of the pack, thus enabling the product to flow more readilytowards the extrusion nozzle, so that dispensing is possible with lesspressure on the plunger, thereby further reducing the risk ofdeformation in the walls surrounding said extrusion nozzle.

Said localised warming is designed not to affect significantly eitherthe walls of the pack away from the immediate vicinity of the extrusionnozzle or the ice-cream contained within, so that there is nodeleterious effect on the quality of the dispensed ice-cream but, on theother hand, it does have the additional advantage of making the surfaceof the extruded product very smooth, thus further enhancing itsappearance.

The body of the pack is in the form of a cylinder, the cross section ofwhich may be circular, oval, polygonal or any other shape, with the onlyrestriction being that said cross-section must be constant along thelength of the cylinder, so that when the ice-cream is dispensed thesliding plunger cap remains in close contact with the walls of the packas it is driven down towards the base, thereby expelling the ice creameffectively through the nozzle. The pack may optionally be fitted withan outer rim at the top end to facilitate holding of the pack in placefor filling on an automated production line.

The pack and seal may be made of cardboard, plastic or any othermaterial suitable for use with food. Suitable plastic materials wouldinclude polyethylene (PE), polystyrene (PS) and polypropylene (PP). Thewalls of the body of the pack should be thick enough to ensure that thestructure remains rigid during handling and product dispensing. In onepractical embodiment, use was made of an injected polypropylene (PP)pack with side walls an average of 0.7 mm thick, and a base of 0.5 mm.When the pack and/or seal is made of card, it is practical to coat theinside with a sealable plastic layer (with polythene being particularlysuitable for this purpose).

The capacity of the pack may, albeit without limitation, suitably bebetween 100 and 160 ml, especially 120 ml, for a single product serving.

The ice content of the ice-cream affects its firmness and hence the easewith which the product can be extruded. Suitably, the ice content may bein the range between 29% at −7° C. and 42% at −12° C.

The serving temperature of the ice-cream should preferably be between−8° C. and −12° C., although in practice it may go above or below thesevalues.

In order to be suitable for serving and consumption, the ice-creamshould preferably have a dissolved air content of between 60 and 120% ofits total volume; a typical figure would be 70% of the total ice-creamvolume.

The nozzle aperture may measure approximately 24–28 mm across, with anarea of 200–400 mm2, depending on the shape of said aperture. This shapeis important in facilitating the extrusion of the product; for instance,if the opening means that there is a large area of contact of theextruded ice-cream with the surrounding air, this will raise theice-cream temperature, making it easier to serve. A star-shaped apertureis particularly effective and creates an attractive extrudate shape butthe points of the star should not be too small, otherwise they will beprone to blocking with particulates which, in turn, could increase theshear on the ice-cream during extrusion, leading to damage to its bulkproperties.

The extrusion dispensing of the ice-cream contained in the packdescribed uses a machine which forms part of the invention as such andwhich is structured around a frame intended either for wall mounting orstanding on a counter. In either case said frame includes a built-inlower mount to install and attach the ice-cream container pack,completed at the top with a housing containing a rack which has a ram atthe base and which is positioned vertically, specifically aligned withthe pack holder housing. In operation, as the rack descends the ramengages the plunger which is integral to the ice-cream pack, forcing itdownwards within the cylinder of the pack and hence extruding theice-cream through the nozzle located at the base. The force required toextrude this ice-cream product ranges from 60–170 Newtons under theconditions described above.

The upper housing suitably also contains a ring gear which meshes withthe aforesaid rack and which is secured to an operating lever to enablethe downward movement of the ram, against the tension of a returnspring, as the pack is emptied, with a suitable receptacle forcollecting the ice-cream in place beneath the nozzle outlet.

The aforementioned pack holder may be fixed, when the machine isintended specifically for packs of a given type, but may be adjustablewhere it is planned to use packs of different sizes, for one or moreice-cream servings, in the sense that the length of the ram stroke insaid pack may be varied to maintain compatibility with packs ofdifferent axial dimensions.

The aforementioned holder is terminated, at the end opposite to where itis attached to the frame, in a bushing of a shape and size suitable toadmit and hold the pack inside it, while preventing said pack fromswaying sideways. Said bushing is fitted with a lower stop to stabilisesaid pack in the emptying position and mounts to provide support to thewalls of the pack in the region surrounding the nozzle, as discussedabove.

It will be appreciated that although the invention is described hereinprimarily with reference to its use in dispensing ice-cream, it isequally applicable for use in dispensing other frozen confections suchas frozen water ices, frozen yoghurts, frozen custards, sorbets and thelike. Reference to ice-cream will accordingly to refer also to suchother frozen confections unless otherwise indicated.

DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

To supplement this description and to contribute to a betterunderstanding of the features of the invention in a preferredembodiment, a set of drawings is accompanied forming an integral parthereof and which, by way of illustration and without limitation, showthe following:

FIG. 1 shows a diagrammatic side elevation and diametric cross-sectionof a container pack for ice-cream dispensed by extrusion, designedaccording to the improvements which are the subject of the presentinvention.

FIG. 2 is similar to FIG. 1, showing the same pack, duly coupled to theextruding machine support.

FIG. 3 is a bottom axial view of the same pack as in FIG. 1, showing twoof the numerous possible configurations for the extrusion nozzle.

FIG. 4 shows a perspective view of a machine for extruding ice-creamfrom disposable packs, produced in accordance with the object of thepresent invention.

FIG. 5 shows a side elevation and cross-section view of the samemachine.

FIG. 6 lastly shows a profile view of the coupling between the rack andthe ring gear operating it.

A PREFERRED EMBODIMENT OF THE INVENTION

These figures illustrate the structure of a pack produced according tothe invention. The pack has a cylindrical body (1) of capacity suitablefor the mass of ice-cream (2) it is to contain. At one end of said body(1), there is a plunger cap (3) which, besides being one of the elementsfor sealing the pack during its storage and handling from the place ofpacking to the time of its consumption, is designed to receive theaction of the piston of the machine (4) when it is required to serve theproduct (2).

At the other end, the body (1) of the pack is sealed by means of a wall(5), of a truncated cone shape, the smaller and free base (6) of whichhouses the nozzle or extrusion opening (7) which may adopt one of therounded vertex star forms in FIG. 3 or any other which may be deemedfit, such as square, rectangular, triangular, oval, etc. When the packis in place in the dispensing machine, the end wall (5) is in contactwith the support (4′) with which the machine is provided. The principleof operation is then that a downward motion of the piston of the machine(4) drives the sliding cap of the pack (3) downward in turn, therebyforcing extrusion of the ice-cream through the nozzle (7) and into asuitable receptacle.

The focus of the distinguishing features of the pack produced accordingto the improvements of this invention is that the aforesaid end wall (5)is connected directly to the lower end or outlet (8) of the tubular body(1) so that, with the assistance of internal radial mounts (10) fittedon the support (4′) and angled according to the generatrix of thetruncated cone sector (5), the pack can be supported as a whole on saidsupport (4′), not only by way of the bottom outside edge of the actualbody (1), but also by means of this shortened cone wall (5) therebyensuring that it will not be deformed by the pressure generated by themachine piston (4).

As a complement to the structure described, the pack is closed andsealed until its contents are to be consumed, with the aid of a thindisc (11) which matches the smaller base (6) of the shortened conepartition (5) in shape and size, in other words solely and directlyaffecting the extrusion nozzle (7) so that, until the time when thecontents (2) of the pack start to be consumed said contents are keptabsolutely in position in the chamber of the pack.

It is also foreseen that the overhanging portions (12) on the base (6)of the partition (5) forming the nozzle (7) (i.e. those portions notdirectly supported by the support (4′)) are designed and of dimensionsto guarantee that they will bend minimally under the pressure of themachine ram on the cap or plunger (3) in order, in turn, to minimise anydeformation of the cross-section of the extruded product. A feature thatfurther aids in the achievement of this objective is the thermal contactbetween the truncated cone structure of the partition (5) and the radialmounts (10) of the support (4′) which, with the warming of said support(4′) and more specifically of said mounts (10), permits a slight rise inthe temperature of the product (2) in the vicinity of the wall (5),enabling the ice-cream product (2) to slide more readily towards thenozzle (7) therefore allowing it to emerge from the machine with lowerpressure on the plunger cap (3). Said warming must not affect the mainbody of the pack or the ice-cream contained within, as this could damageits eating quality.

The machine (4) for extrusion dispensing of the ice-cream or product (2)contained in the pack (1) described is designed around a framecomprising a stand or base (13) to support the machine as a whole on acounter top, although this stand (13) is linked to the frame (4) by wayof a removable coupling (14) so that said stand may be used only whennecessary and can be removed when, for instance, the machine (4) ismounted on a wall.

At the bottom of the frame and here located above the stand or base(13), the frame has a pack holder (15) which terminates in a bushingwhich forms the aforementioned support (4′), and this vertical axisbushing or support (4′) is of suitable size and shape to contain thepack (1) containing product (2) in a stable position, defined by aninner perimeter stop (16) on the support (4′) and by a perfect side fitbetween the pack and support, as shown particularly in FIG. 4.

To complement the structure described, the frame terminates at its upperend in a housing (17) containing a vertical rack (18), specifically setcoaxially to the support (4′) and to the pack (1). Said rack terminatesat the bottom with a ram (19) of suitable size and shape to enter thepack (1), acting on the moving cap or plunger (3) of the pack (1) as apusher extruding the ice-cream (2) towards the bottom opening or nozzle(7) of the aforesaid pack (1) so that it emerges and drops under theforce of gravity into any receptacle (20) placed below.

In practice, the pack (1) and the support (4′) may be configured in themanner shown in the figures or in any other way that ensures that thepack (1) is completely stable in the holder (15) and that the ram (19)is able to operate properly to expel the product. Accordingly, said ram(19) may be of a shape and size matching those of the bore of the pack(1) or, if the cap (3) of said pack is of a certain rigidity, it may beundersized.

The rack (18) moves vertically through a ring gear (21) which mesheswith it and is operated manually by a lever (22) whose pivot pintraverses the housing (23) laterally so that the lever (22) is exteriorto it and, therefore, fully accessible.

The machine is designed so that when the product has been dispensed, therack (18) and more specifically the ram (19) revert automatically to anupper limit, a return spring (24) being fitted between said rack (18)and the housing (17) against which the lever (22) is pivoted as the pack(1) is emptied.

The pack (1) may comprise a single serving, so that all the contents (2)pass to the collecting receptacle (20) in a single operation; or elsesaid pack (1) may hold several servings for distribution of the contentsto various receptacles (20), in which case the holder (15) should beheight-adjustable so as to bring the position of the support (4′) and,therefore, of the pack itself (1) into line with the stroke requirementsof the rack (18).

In any case, according to the object of the invention, the ice-creamproduct (2) made and marketed in plastic, cardboard or similar packs (1)may be consumed by the user in more attractive receptacles, such as aplate, a cup or any other glass, ceramic or similar item. Said pack (1)comprises a cartridge which, as has been mentioned above, has a slidingcap or plunger (3) which moves with the ram (19), and a mouth or nozzle(7) which is initially sealed and can easily be opened, for example byusing a thin disc (11) heat-welded to the outlet of said mouth ornozzle.

1. An ice-cream container pack that forms a replaceable cartridge in anassociated dispensing machine, said pack comprising a cylindrical bodyfitted with a nozzle and a plunger which, when operated by a piston ofsaid machine, dispenses the ice cream from the pack via said nozzle,wherein said pack presents a bottom edge (8) of a cylindrical body wall(1) directly attached to an end wall (5), said end wall being in theform of a truncated cone, a smaller and free base of which houses theextrusion nozzle (7), whereby a part of the end wall (5) constitutes asupport base for the pack on a support (4′) with which said dispensingmachine is provided.
 2. An ice-cream container pack according to claim1, wherein the pack is sealed at a bottom end, during storage andtransportation of said pack, by means of a disc (11) of shape and sizeappropriate to the smaller free base of the truncated cone end-wall (5)where the nozzle (7) is situated, so that said disc (11) is attacheddirectly to the part of the pack corresponding to said extrusion nozzle(7), said disc being readily removeable to facilitate dispensing of theice cream.
 3. An ice-cream container pack according to claim 1, whereinoverhanging portions (12) of a base or central sector (6) of thetruncated cone wall (5) defining the extrusion nozzle are minimallydeformable by the forces delivered from the machine's piston to theplunger (3) of the pack during dispensing.
 4. An ice-cream containerpack according to claim 1 wherein the pack is substantially rigid.
 5. Anice-cream container pack according to claim 1 wherein the pack is madeof polypropylene.
 6. A machine for the extrusion dispensing of anice-cream product contained in a pack designed to transfer the ice-creamproduct (2) from said pack (1) to a consumption receptacle (20), saidmachine comprising a frame (4) equipped with means to allow the machineto stand on a horizontal platform or to be wall mounted, said framebearing a holder (15) for the ice-cream container pack (1) and a meansfor driving a ram (19) which operates the plunger in said pack in orderto extrude the ice cream product, wherein the pack is a pack accordingto claim 1 and holder (15) comprises a support (4′) on which thetruncated conical end wall of said pack is directly seated.
 7. A machineaccording to claim 6, in which the support (4′ for the ice-cream pack(1) is provided with inner radial mounts (10), said mounts havingsurfaces at an angle that matches that of the truncated cone end-wall(5) of the pack (1), thereby providing direct support to said end-wall.8. A machine according to claim 6 in which means are provided forheating the support (4′ or heating radial mounts attached to saidsupport (10), on which the truncated cone wall (5) of the pack is seatedduring dispensing, thereby providing local warming of the ice cream inthe vicinity of the extrusion nozzle (7) and improving the fluidity ofthe product as it is extruded.
 9. A machine according to claim 6, inwhich the means for driving the ram (19) comprises a rack (18) thatterminates in said ram, said rack moving vertically within a housing(17), said housing being attached to the frame (4).
 10. A machineaccording to claim 9, in which the rack (18) is driven by amanually-operated lever (22) via a ring gear (21).
 11. A machineaccording to claim 6, wherein the frame (4) is fitted with a stand orbase (13) to support the machine on a counter, said stand or base beingattached to said frame by means of a coupling (14), enabling said stand(13) to be removed when the machine is intended for wall mounting.
 12. Amachine according to claim 6, wherein the holder (15) for the pack (1)terminates at the end opposite to that where it is attached to the framein a bushing, comprising a support (4′) with a vertical axis, fittedwith an internal perimeter stop (16), for stable coupling to theaforesaid pack (1), also arranged vertically, so that the slidingplunger cap (3) of said pack (1) faces the ram (19) of the rack (18),while the bottom outlet or nozzle (7) in the pack (1) is in turn overthe receptacle (20) where the ice-cream is to be served.
 13. A machineaccording to claim 6, wherein the holder (15) for the ice-cream pack (1)is mounted on a frame and can be height-adjusted to adapt the relativepositions of said pack (1) and the ram (19) of the rack (18) to packs(1) of differing axial dimension and containing either one or severalice-cream servings.
 14. A machine according to claim 6, wherein the ram(19) reverts automatically to an upper limit position, to which end therack (18) is connected to the housing (17) by way of a return spring(24), against which the rack (18) moves when the lever (22) is operated.